Buildings and tombstones having marble and brick surfaces exposed to the environment accumulate a surface film of dirt, discoloration, and other foreign matter most often derived from pollutants in the atmosphere. Heretofore, these surfaces have been cleaned by either sand blasting or by application of an acid. These methods have not been entirely satisfactory due to the detrimental effect, not only on the surface being cleaned, but also on the personnel engaged in the cleaning operation.
After considerable research and experimentation, the composition and method of restoring marble and brick surfaces of the present invention have been devised which effectively removes the dirt film from the surface while at the same time having no adverse effects on the surface being cleaned nor on the personnel engaged in the cleaning operation. The composition of the present invention comprises, essentially, a mixture of trisodium phosphate, talc and sugar, which is prepared by dissolving the trisodium phosphate in boiling water to which is added the talc and sugar to form a paste. The method of the present invention for restoring marble or brick surfaces comprises, essentially, applying the paste composition to the surface to be restored by means of a suitable applicator such as a brush or trowel; covering the coated surface with a thin plastic sheet; allowing the coating to set; removing the composition from the restored surface and rinsing the surface with water to steam. When restoring detailed surfaces, such as headstones, cheese cloth is first wrapped around the surface and the paste is sprayed thereon to form a poultice which is covered with a thin plastic sheet. After setting, the poultice is peeled from the surface and the restored surface is rinsed with water or steam.